Students Attend AISES Camp 97 - Alaska Native Knowledge ...

6 SHARING OUR PATHWAYS
Active Reality Research, Part II
To the Native people there are many things in this universe
that are cyclical and describe a spiral or a circle. Examples
of these include the seasons, the solar system, the Native timepiece
of the Big Dipper going around the North Star, the atom, the
raven’s path across the sky visible at certain times (part of the
Milky Way spiral), an eddy in the river, a whirlwind and many
other examples. In each instance there is a drawing force in the
center. In the Native world view, we can think of this as the circle
of life. In each Native person’s life the central drawing force is the
self (Fig. 1). Down through many thousands of years, this is what
kept the individual in balance. The energy (self) kept the values,
attitudes, and traditions from being flung out. It allowed the
Native individual to be constantly in communications with self,
others, nature and the spirits to check on the propriety of
existing characteristics of life. They knew that life is dynamic. In
the process of change in the world views, many of the values have
remained the same and are very applicable today.
With infringements of new people
from other parts of the world, came a
weakening of the self with all its
strengths of what to be and how to
live. At first the circle remained strong.
However, with the encroachment of
missionaries from various Christian
religions, traders, trappers, miners and
explorers came diseases unknown to
the Native people. Following this came
a calamity surmounting any experience
that the Native people have ever
had. Many elders, shamans, parents,
community members and children
died as a result of these unknown
diseases. With the loss of so many
people, especially the shamans who
until this time were the healers, left
the Native people questioning their
own spirituality. Was it really the
work of the devil and his evil allies
that the Native people subscribed to
and believed in as the missionaries
pointed out? This dealt a crushing
blow to a people who had direct access
and communications with the
natural and spiritual worlds through
their shamans. The first rent to the
circle of life was in the spiritual realm
(Fig. 2), and we have been suffering
from a spiritual depression ever since.
Alaska Native spirituality can in no
way be wholly replaced by orthodox
Christian religions, Eastern or other
ways of knowing about a spiritual
life.
Where the break occurs, one side
of the curved line becomes more linear
to reflect confusion. Through this
break occur leaks for new ideas, values
and ways of life that cause much
doubt about their own world and
beliefs. A maelstrom of values, beliefs
and traditions result causing a confusion
of what to be and what to do. The
sense of self becomes weakened, thus
by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley
its drawing force is weakened causing
some original and traditional ideas of
life to be lost. The turmoil, like that of
a tornado, continues. The amalgamation
of Western and other cultures
from throughout the world are mixed
with Native traditions. Although the
Alaska Native people did not readily
accept modern education and religions
and gave initial resistance, breaks
eventually occurred. If conditions had
been different, the Alaska Native
people could have controlled what
was allowed into their world view.
But such was not the case. The encroachment
of various peoples and
their cultures overwhelmed the Native
people. Not only did these new
people come with new ideas, but with
new species of dogs, plants, domesticated
animals, bacteria and viruses.
This not only caused turmoil for the
human beings but also caused ecological
havoc. Armed with their new
technological tools—hunting, trapping
and fishing devices—along with
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